1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to dispensing and display devices for use in retail environments. More specifically, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a display device which includes a frame that is adapted and configured for receiving a carton or package containing a plurality of products on an upper deck of the display device and an opening tool for facilitating the opening of the carton and the dispensing of the products sequentially from the carton into a lower display area. The invention also relates to a system that includes a dispensing and display device, such as the aforementioned, and a package or carton of articles which is specially adapted for use with the dispensing and display device. The invention further relates to blanks for use in forming cartons or packages adapted for use with the aforementioned dispensing and display device.
2. Background of the Related Art
At point-of-sale (POS) or display units in retail outlets/locations it is convenient to present articles and products in an eye-catching and easily accessible manner. These POS or display units also act as a storage area for articles and products and it is therefore necessary to maximize the amount of storage space utilized, whilst at the same time enabling a customer to easily select and take products away for purchase. To achieve this, as articles are removed, it is desirable for the shelf to forward fill to present the next stored article for easy selection by a customer. Some dispensers have sprung-biased mechanisms that push articles forward; other known display devices use gravity feed mechanisms to cause articles to flow to the forward-most sale position. One such dispensing device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,997 to Johnson in which a dispensing device has upper and lower jar guides and a plurality of glass jar containers are loaded on their sides through a container loading area. The dispenser racks successively feed one container at a time to the container dispensing area to thereby provide a self-feeding and self-facing storage, dispensing and display system.
A drawback of systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,997 to Johnson, is that loading of the dispensing device is done manually and individually. In Johnson, a rotatable door panel is provided so that loading occurs through the openable upper jar guide. As such articles are fed one at a time into the upper jar guide. Loading in this manner is slow, and therefore, time-consuming. Additionally, the products being displayed in the dispensing device are usually transported to a retail outlet in a carton or box containing a number of such articles. Therefore, if the dispensing device is not capable of holding all of the articles contained in the delivered carton or box, then any articles that could not be loaded into the dispensing device need to be stored elsewhere in the retail outlet in the partially emptied carton or box, until such time as the dispensing device can accommodate those articles.
It is therefore desirable to improve the manner in which the filling of the dispensing devices takes place. It is desirable that the filling is quick, enables full cartons of delivered goods to be accommodated in the dispensing device and it is desirable that the requirement for storing any extra articles that cannot be displayed is avoided. It is also desirable that such dispensing devices are made from a minimum amount of material. It is also desirable that such dispensing devices are as eye-catching as possible to the customer and contain branding, advertising and/or marketing material for this purpose. Since the advertising and branding materials and graphics are frequently changed and altered in line with trends and promotions, it is also desirable that the dispensing devices are adaptable to facilitate quick changeovers in the branding, advertising and marketing graphics displayed thereon. The present invention seeks to provide improvements in the field of dispensing devices.